Author: reporter

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and STEPHEN GROVES, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s capital sued to block President Donald Trump’s takeover of its police department in court on Friday, hours after his administration escalated its intervention into the city’s law enforcement by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department. Washington’s police chief said Trump’s move would threaten law and order by upending the command structure. “In my nearly three decades in law enforcement, I have never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive,” Chief Pamela Smith said in…

The Denver Zoo’s lion habitat may get a lot more rambunctious in the coming months as four African lion cubs learn the ropes of their new pride. African lion mom Araali gave birth to four healthy cubs Wednesday after nearly 18 hours of labor, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance officials announced this week. Araali carried the cubs for 115 days and is now bonding away from the public exhibit, where the new family will remain for at least six weeks while the cubs get vaccinations and health exams. “This allows Araali and her cubs the time they need to adjust to…

Drought and long, hot summer days are sucking Western Colorado’s rivers dry, parching farm fields and fueling the massive wildfires proliferating across the region. A chunk of northwestern Colorado in the last week plunged into exceptional drought — the most dire category recorded by the U.S. Drought Monitor. The swath of affected land represents 7% of the state and covers most of Garfield and Rio Blanco counties, as well as parts of Moffat, Mesa, Delta, Routt and Pitkin counties. “Northwestern Colorado is the epicenter of drought in the whole country right now,” said Russ Schumacher, Colorado’s state climatologist and the…

One of Water World’s most iconic and popular areas will close this month for rebuilding, but fans still have a chance to say goodbye at a public celebration for the decades-old fixture. The 50-acre water park in Federal Heights will close Calypso Cove on Monday, Aug. 25, and rebuild it for future seasons. The themed area, described by Water World as a Caribbean Family Adventure, is aimed at young kids and their parents with attractions such as Pirates Plunge, Wally World, Screamin’ Mimi and the grass hut-themed Caribbean Family Adventure play structure. For those nostalgic about its four-decade history, a…

Bo Nix has a glitch. He thinks too much. His greatest strength — a quick processor — is mental hardware that causes his athletic software to malfunction. He is hard on himself. Too hard. He wants to be right on every play, in every drill. In interviews, he provides glimpses of his competitive spirit and unbending expectations. He doesn’t hide behind his inexperience, and coach Sean Payton offers no grace. He knows Nix can digest a playbook that is more Tolstoy than Toy Story. So, he coaches Nix hard. But the enemy of good can be great. Watching Nix the…

Broncos head coach Sean Payton quashed any notion that star outside linebacker Nik Bonitto isn’t practicing because of his contract status. Bonitto is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and Thursday was his third straight day missed after he appeared to come up limping in Saturday’s preseason game. Payton said Bonitto had a small, non-weight-bearing bone spur on his foot removed and should be back to work next week. “He had a little spur on the top of his foot, alright?” Payton said. “Now, I had two spurs removed on my big toe, and that hurt like a…

Sean Payton’s new-look training camp continues to feature changes. The Broncos head coach is deviating from his normal August routine and said Thursday he plans to sit nearly all of his starters in Saturday’s home preseason game against Arizona. Most of them, however, will get 8-10 snaps or so in Denver’s Aug. 23 preseason finale at New Orleans. The rationale: Most of the Broncos’ top-line players have seen big workloads already over the past week. They played in a grueling joint practice against San Francisco, then saw three drives (offense) and two drives (defense), respectively, against the 49ers in the…

Just like that, the open portion of Broncos training camp is finished. The team plays Arizona on Saturday night and then returns to closed practices next week before its preseason finale Aug. 23 at New Orleans. Sean Payton’s team, though, went out with a bang on Thursday over two-plus hours of joint practice with the Cardinals. Payton had high praise for Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon, and he said Thursday’s joint practice was among the most productive he’s had in his long career as a head coach. “I thought both teams were outstanding just relative to the tempo and communication,”…

An intoxicated passenger aboard an LA-bound Breeze flight who police said was yelling racist slurs at staff and waving a skateboard around was arrested after the flight was diverted to Grand Junction Wednesday. Breeze Airways — a low-cost carrier based in Provo, Utah — said Flight MX704 took off from Norfolk, Virginia, and was heading to Los Angeles when an unruly passenger “initiated a physical altercation with other Guests and Flight Attendants.” The plane landed safely at Grand Junction Regional Airport around 11:15 a.m., where the man was taken into custody by the Grand Junction Police Department at the direction…

Former Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., known in podcast circles as “Curious Mike,” was back on the mic this week, cautioning against the pitfalls of sports gambling. Porter, who was traded to the Brooklyn Nets along with a 2032 first-round pick for Cam Johnson in June, appeared on the “One Night with Steiny” podcast and discussed a variety of topics, from the Los Angeles dating scene to how NBA players should interact with female referees. Some of his most eye-popping quotes came on the subject of sports betting and the NBA. “Think about it, if you could get all your…